Tohru Honda/Relationships
Family Kyoko Honda Tohru had a loving relationship with her mother, sometimes known as the Red Butterfly, a member of a famous gang. She often places her mother above all else, even after her death, and fears being disloyal to her memory. She keeps a picture of her mother with her at most times, which is her most cherished possession. She regularly repeats her mother's wisdom and love to others, and takes on many of her thoughts. It is because of this desire to hold onto the memory of Kyoko, that Tohru fails to realize her romance with Kyo Sohma until late in the series. When Tohru realizes she is in love, it upsets her greatly, for she believes that will mean leaving Kyoko's memory behind. Ultimately, her love for Kyo surpasses her desire to remain attached to her mother, and she accepts that it is time to move on with her life. However, Kyoko will always hold a special place in Tohru's heart. Katsuya Honda Her father died when she was only 3, so Tohru only has blurry memories of him. Her father loved her deeply and his death devastated her mother, and Tohru feared she would lose her as well. Believing her father was somehow stealing her mother away, Tohru decided to take on her father's way of speaking formally (and also because people believed she was another man's child). Tohru has not talked much of how she felt about her father, because of her lack of memory, thus, their relationship is difficult to describe. However, she does have a picture of her father, which she keeps behind her mother's picture. Tohru's Grandfather Evidently, Tohru loves her grandfather very much, though her purpose is with the Sohma's. After her mother had died in a car accident, she goes to live with her grandfather until she has to leave again for her grandfather to make some room for his daughter's family. He even defends her against other cold-hearted relatives and encourages her to go where she is happy. Later on in the manga, when her grandfather strains his back, Tohru is very concerned and watches over him closely, and is distressed and frightened when her grandpa talks of her dead parents and expresses his wish to be with them again. All in all, their relationship is loving. Out of habit, Tohru's grandfather tends to address Tohru by her mother's name "Kyoko" by mistake at times. Kyo Sohma The first time Tohru meets Kyo is when she finds out about the Sohma curse, when he crashed through Shigure's roof. At first Kyo seems to hate Tohru and shouts at her when she accidentally transforms him at school. Later, he apologizes for the incident due to the guilt of Kyoko's death. At the time, Tohru is unaware of his involvement in the incident. In episode 24 and 25 of the anime, and chapter 33 in the manga, Kazuma, Kyo's master at the dojo, arrives for reasons unknown to everyone at first. His reasons for being there were to reveal Kyo's true form, hoping that Tohru would be able to "heal ''Kyo's heart". When he transforms into his true form, she is frightened by it but still calls out to him. Kyo, heartbroken that she has seen him in his true form, runs into the woods. Tohru pursues him, and when she finds him, she tries to convince him to come home, but Kyo has convinced himself that she only pities him and does not accept him. She cries and tells him, ''"I want us to have our meals together, to study together and worry together... I just want us all to be together!!" Kyo becomes aware that she has accepted him, embraces her (in his human form) and is overcome with joy. Tohru carries Kyo (in his cat form) back to Shigure's house. This is where the 2001 anime ended. As the story progresses, Kyo and Tohru become nervous and anxious around each other. While throughout the series, Kyo's strong affection for Tohru is quite obvious as he is overprotective around her and stutters when Momiji mentions that they should be together. He comes to realize he is in love with Tohru, in volume 11, when Akito confronts him. When Tohru confesses her love for Kyo to Rin, Kagura overhears her and slaps her, telling her that it is best to tell it to Kyo's face and not behind his back. This pushes her to confess her feelings to Kyo. When Tohru finally summons up the courage to confess her feelings to Kyo himself, he walks away then turns around and explains to her that he blames himself for Kyoko's death and why. As he walks off, Tohru collapses into tears. In chapter 122 and 123, Akito confronts Tohru when she tries to offer a hand of friendship to him. She accidentally falls off a cliff and hurts her head leaving her half conscious. Yuki is first on the scene after Akito calls for help. Kyo, after hearing Shigure telling Hatori what happened over the phone, panics and rushes to find her. Overcome with fear and guilt after remembering what happened with Kyoko, Kyo is afraid he will not get a chance to apologize to Tohru or tell her how he feels. When Kyo comes to the scene, he finally admits his feelings to her, but being only half conscious, Tohru didn't really understand what he was saying. When she is unconscious, Kyo kisses her and begs her to live. While Tohru is in the hospital Kyo attempts to visit her, but Tohru's friends, Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima (aka Uo-chan and Hana-chan), chase him off telling him that she doesn't want to see him because Tohru thinks she has been rejected. They agree that when Tohru is discharged Kyo can see her. When she is finally discharged, they all go to visit her. Kyo comes a little later, still feeling guilty. When he comes up he sees Arisa and Hana then he sees Tohru and realizes he wants her more than anything and says "Tohru". Due to the rejection, Tohru instinctively runs away from him. Kyo stunned collapses, but then determinedly runs after her, and yells that she shouldn't be running so hard due to her injuries. When he catches up with her, Tohru screams, sits down on a bench and begins to cry. Kyo holds her hand and kneels in front of her. He now finally confesses his feelings for her saying he was selfish and didn't think of her feelings. He leans in and kisses her. Kyo says he wants them to be together always. He asks if he can hug her even though he would transform, to which Tohru replies that she doesn't mind because she loves him very much "it can't be beat". The two embrace and realize that Kyo hasn't transformed into a cat. Kyo backs away shocked and looks at his wrist. He rips off his bracelet, and the beads hit the ground. Tohru picks up every single bead while Kyo stares, wondering why she is keeping them. At the end of the series, Tohru and Kyo are revealed to have gotten married. They have two sons, a daughter, and grandchildren. With their love still strong and his beads still there in a bowl as a reminder of their past. Friends Arisa Uotani Arisa met Tohru in middle school, and then Kyoko herself. She was shocked by the change from gang-leader into doting mother. Arisa didn't like Tohru at first but became friends with her after Kyoko helped her escape from her gang. At one point Arisa overheard students talking about how Tohru must be as "rough" as her since they hung out together; she attempted to break off their friendship to keep Tohru's reputation from plummeting. However, they managed to get pass this. With Saki Hanajima, she swore on Kyoko's grave to look after Tohru, and in their "parental" protection of Tohru, noted by Kyo and Yuki, Arisa is depicted as the brash and direct father-figure. Tohru calls her "Uo-chan" and her manga symbol is a fish, the meaning of the first kanji (魚) of her family name. Saki Hanajima Tohru calls Saki Hanajima "Hana-chan", and her manga symbol is a small flower, which is the meaning of the first kanji (花) of her family name. Hanajima had trouble controlling her abilities when she was young, and blamed herself for the near-fatal collapse of a boy who was bullying her. Like Arisa Uotani, Hanajima is extremely protective of Tohru, who was the first person in school who truly accepted her, which helped her gain control of her powers. She wears black nail polish and (when not in her school uniform) black dresses, often with a cloak or veil. It is a habit Hanajima started before she met Tohru as a way of showing her guilt. With Arisa, she promised on Tohru's mother's grave to look after Tohru, and as her "parental" protection, she acts as the "motherly" figure. She uses her reputation for sending out "poison waves" to shield Tohru from the malice of Yuki's fan club. Sohma Family Yuki Sohma When Tohru was a child, she got lost trying to run away from a group of boys that were picking on her. A boy found her but ran away from her. She pursued him and called out to him to wait and said she wanted to go home. He turned back to her and led her home. He gave her the cap he was wearing and ran off before he could show his face. It turns out that this boy was, actually in fact, a young Yuki. In Chapter 2, when Yuki was apologizing to Tohru before her memories were going to be removed after discovering the Sohma Family's secret, he was moved when Tohru smiled happily at him and told him that even if her memories of him were lost she still wants the two of them to remain friends. She also does not feel uncomfortable after the secret is exposed, she still treats him like any other person. It is also shown that as the story progresses, Yuki cares deeply for Tohru and he also is very protective of her. Although he does not express it through words, his actions prove how much he does not want Tohru to be harmed. Years later in the present time, Yuki still remembers that incident, but thinks that Tohru has forgotten about it, until he discovers the red cap in her room when they were studying. He asks her why she keeps it, to which she responds, "Because it's a precious memory of mine! To be able to receive his help... it was really... the happiest moment in my life!" (Chapter 53). At the beach house in chapter 59 after being confronted by Akito, Yuki wanders off thinking. Tohru gets concerned when he does not return and goes out to search for him. When she does find him, Yuki comes to realize that her help and kindness have helped him "open the lid" to his feelings. He kisses her forehead and sheds tears as he realizes he loves her. However, in chapter 83, after being locked in a closet and having a relapse of memories about his troubled childhood, he realizes that he was not seeking her love as a woman but instead saw her as a mother figure. This may be due to the fact that he was "given" to Akito as a child, and was never really raised by his parents. In later chapters the two grow somewhat distant due to Yuki being the student council president, and Tohru trying to understand her feelings and wanting to break the Zodiac curse. However, they remain friendly towards each other during this period. At the end of the manga, Yuki has a conversation with Tohru the day before she moves out, admitting that, to him, she was like a mother who "raised me (Yuki) as a human" (Chapter 136). He then, for the first time, calls her "Tohru" as opposed to "Honda-san". His older brother Ayame (with whom Yuki was estranged for a while) is determined throughout the series to get Yuki and Tohru together. Ayame Sohma Ayame likes to flirt with Tohru to instigate jealousy in Yuki, trying to push the two into a romantic relationship. When they first met, he called her "Princess" and bought her gyoza. After returning to Shigure's house, Ayame says he will kiss her after she tries on one of his outfits to "express his delight", which only resulted in Yuki hitting him and starting another argument. Ayame also often says he will stay in Tohru's room, and fall asleep hugging her. Ayame likes to take advantage of Tohru's patient and kind nature, and orders her about. But, despite this, Tohru likes Ayame and doesn't get annoyed with his "Drama King" nature, and is still kind to him when the others are telling him to leave. On two occasions, gullible and naive Tohru has carried him inside her shirt to keep him warm, because, as he tells her, if snakes get too cold they will die. Her patience and kidness could be due to her understanding of the fact that Ayame is trying to fix his relationship with Yuki. Shigure Sohma Shigure, like Ayame, likes to flirt with Tohru, and teases her about going on a date with him (Yuki and Kyo get very angry at his perverted remarks). He buys Tohru a maid outfit for White Day and says he will "take her for himself" as Yuki and Kyo fight. He seems to just be a harmless pervert, but in a conversation with Hatori, Shigure reveals that he is actually using Tohru to break the Sohma Curse. He says he is disgusted at his own selfishness, but that won't stop him from pushing to get what he wants, even if it hurts Tohru in the process. However, he says to Mayuko that he is kinder to Tohru than he is to anyone else, to which she says that he doesn't treat the people he claims to like as human beings. He also says he loves Tohru as a brother might love his sister. When Tohru seems to be overwhelmed and worried about the future, Shigure comes and gives her advice, telling her to think about what she can do today. He makes Tohru cry when he reveals that the Zodiac silently consented to Kyo being confined, and that they look down on him in their hearts. After the curse is broken, Tohru and Shigure stay good friends. Therefore, it's implied that any bad blood between the two has waned away. In the anime, since Akito is male, Shigure's relationship with Tohru is different. He is no longer just using her to break the family curse, and truly cares for her, their relationship being similar to that of father/uncle and daughter. He twice stands up to Akito to protect her, indicating that she holds a very dear place in his heart. Akito Sohma Before Tohru met Akito, she thought that he was a man, and a very violent one at that. However, when she first met Akito, she (this article will call Akito she for consistency) appeared to be "a lot kinder than she (Tohru) imagined". However, her opinion soon changed after seeing Akito scare Yuki, reminding him of the time he was Akito's "playmate". She went so far as to shove Akito out of the way, but then apologized and said that they needed to get back to class. Tohru didn't see Akito again until her visit at the summer house, where she (Akito) punched Momiji's face, and Tohru, after trying to stop her, was scratched by Akito who revealed her identity as the "God" of the Zodiac. Akito, after realizing that the curse was crumbling, went after Tohru with a knife, and, after attacking her, revealed her fear for living without the "bonds", for the God's spirit stayed away from society. Tohru realizes that she felt the same way about her bond with her mother, and tries to make friends with Akito. Akito slaps her hand away, saying that Tohru will abandon her as soon as she complains, but is about to accept when the cliff crumbles. After Tohru is hospitalized, Akito is the first person who visits her, indicating her change of heart, and finally accepts Tohru's request of friendship. Ritsu Sohma Upon meeting Ritsu Sohma, Tohru managed to identify him as the "daughter" of the Okami at the onsen, due to his frantic apologizing after Tohru helped him pick up the mess from his ripped bag. Having thought that he was a woman, due to his habitual wearing of women's' kimonos and his long hair, she discovered, after hugging him to shield him from broken glass, that he was a man, after he transformed into his zodiac animal, the monkey. Tohru was confused until Shigure explained that Ritsu wore women's clothing as it helped calm his nerves. Also, to Shigure's amusement, Tohru calls him Rit-chan-san, an example of her incorrect formal speech in Japanese. Discovering Ritsu on the roof, about to commit suicide, Tohru managed to convince him not to jump, after hearing him say: "Why was someone like me given life in this world?!". She said: "Sometimes living can be hard, but it's only because we're alive that we can make each other... laugh, cry... be happy! [in her head In this world... aloud If that's not a reason for being born in this world... I don't know what is!" She later discovered Ritsu on her way home having another episode after a cat tried to steal his Takoyaki (he was even apologizing to the cat for trying to take it back). They then struggle to find something to talk about, suggesting that they are quite shy and polite around each other, which is also relevant when they both spend a long time trying to convince the other to speak first, when they both say "Um!" at the same time. Ritsu then asks Tohru whether his mother said anything about her being ashamed of Ritsu's clumsiness and cross-dressing. Tohru is shocked, as his mother said nothing like that. He (Ritsu) then apologizes for asking such an awkward question, and says that he is sure there was no purpose for him being alive, to which Tohru says: "I'm sure that inside your heart... you're trying with all your might to find it on your own... the reason you were born. Because... because really... there might not be anyone who was born with a reason. I think that everyone... everyone might have to find one on their own. her head A reason for being born... A reason that it's okay to be alive... '''A reason to exist. aloud I think everyone might have to find it themselves... and decide for themselves. It could be your dreams...your job... or a person. ...The reason you're looking for... might be vague, unclear... and uncertain. her head ''And you might '''lose it''. aloud But as long as you're alive... you have to keep searching for that reason". Ritsu is overcome by Tohru's kindness and cries, and says that he hopes he can find his "reason" in a person as well. Hiro Sohma Hiro, who Tohru meets in volume 7, makes it clear that he does not like her right from the start. He steals her wallet with her mom's photo and runs off with it, causing Tohru to chase him to Shishou's Dojo, where it is revealed that Hiro is jealous of Tohru because she helped Kisa find her voice. As "punishment" for not giving her back her wallet, Tohru suddenly hugs Hiro and causes him to transform, revealing his sheep form. Hiro loves Kisa and wanted to help her regain her voice, but was afraid of her getting hurt after what Akito did to her when Hiro revealed to her (Akito) his feelings for Kisa. He calls Tohru "Stupid Woman" and, like Ayame, orders her about when he first meets her. However, Tohru is still kind to him, and encourages him when he admits he's a child, and can't do anything. This dislike continues throughout the story, however, it eases up at the summer house when he realizes that Tohru has had pain like he has, after he gave Tohru her photo wallet when she dropped it. He asked Tohru: "Why do you have a picture of only your mother? I mean, you've lost both parents, right? You mean you don't have one of your father? Whenever you say anything, it's "Mom, Mom". It's like, that's all you say. Don't you ever think about anything else?", which causes Tohru to run off to look for Momiji and makes Kisa cry and ignore him for the day. However, the two remain friendly towards each other afterwards, and Hiro shows affection and care toward Tohru later on. Hatsuharu Sohma Tohru meets Hatsuharu at the racing track, where she mistakes him for an old man because of his white hair. She thinks he is very polite and is shocked at his transformation to "Black Haru". Though she doesn't hear, he says to Kyo he is going to sleep with Tohru, showing just how split his personality is. Once, when he was "Black Haru" he flirts with Tohru and warns he might try to do "that" with her. Tohru doesn't get what it meant. Kyo and Yuki hit him for saying that. Tohru is very kind to Hatsuharu, and though she is shocked, she supports him when he says he loves Yuki, saying the story of their friendship was lovely. Hatsuharu calls her "Honda-san" like Yuki. Though he sometimes makes remarks that both Yuki and Kyo attempt to "kill" him, although he is actually a good person and respects Tohru. He tells Isuzu (a.k.a. Rin) that Tohru is kind, and Tohru is the reason Yuki and Kyo's auras have softened when they had previously been hostile. Isuzu Sohma At first, Isuzu (or Rin, as she is called by relatives) seems to despise Tohru, saying that she will "not let her get involved" in breaking the curse, and is always glaring at her. However, the truth is that Tohru to her is like a mother, similar to Yuki's feelings, and she is scared that she, like her own mother, will "fall apart". She says that when she first saw Tohru she "wanted to climb onto her lap, to pour out my (Isuzu's) heart to her, like a child who goes back, crying, to her mother. I (Isuzu) wanted to share with her all the weakness in my overly weak self, and I feel like she would let me, like she would accept me." After Tohru discovers her throwing up in the living room, Isuzu clings to her. She appears to be embarrassed later and elbows her hand away when Tohru holds it out to her, but then, once again, she clings to her until the ambulance comes to take her to the hospital. From then on, Isuzu is very protective of Tohru, and is furious when Kagura hits Tohru. Kureno Sohma Kureno and Tohru have very similar personalities, as pointed out by Arisa Uotani. They are both sincere, kind, polite and thinks of others before themselves. Realizing that Arisa desperately wishes to see Kureno again and is upset by his disappearance, Tohru becomes determined for them to see each other again and goes to the Sohma estate to talk to Kureno. With the help of Momo Sohma, enters through a secret passage to the inside of the estate. After a brief encounter with Momiji, he gives her direction to find Kureno. She finds him but cannot approach him as there are a lot of servants and family members around. Eventually she ends up hiding behind a bush, where 'Akito' hears her and asks who's there. Kureno appears and saves Tohru from the person she thought was Akito (This was Ren, Akito's mother, as Tohru thought they sounded alike and Kureno later revealed that it was her). When Ren has disappeared Kureno pulls Tohru away from the area asks why she is here. Tohru tells Kureno that Arisa really wants to see him and even give him Arisa's number so they can make contact. However, Kureno turns down the offer and tells Tohru he has given up 'hope'. She responds by saying that there is always hope. He lets her go as he sees Momiji approaching them. Later on in chapter 97, Kureno approaches Tohru without Akito knowing. He hugs her and explains to her that he has broken free of the curse. Tohru is surprised by this but Kureno doesn't know how his curse was broken. The only reason he stayed in the Sohma estate was because Akito desperately begged and pleaded him to stay with her. Tohru realizes that he desperately wishes to see Arisa again and he starts to cry. It also at this point that Kureno reveals to Tohru that Akito is in fact a woman. He goes on to explain to her who Ren is and a bit more on the curse and Akito. Shocked and unable to take it all in, Tohru collapses after Kureno leaves. After the curse is broken, it can be assumed they are good friends. Hatori Sohma She first met him in episode 7 with Momiji, and she was glad to have met other Sohmas. But later in that episode, she found out that Hatori is the one that erases the memory of those who interfere with the Sohma family. Hearing this she becomes fearful of him, but as the story continues, she gets to know him better and feel more compassion towards him. Later, Hatori asks Tohru the question that Kana, his ex-fiancée asked him - When snow melts, what does it become? She answers "Spring" just like Kana did, thus marking the beginning of his fondness towards her. Hatori cares deeply for Tohru because of her kindness and similarity to Kana. His desire is to protect her (Tohru's) smile and preventing Tohru from ending up like Kana. Kisa Sohma Kisa was shut off, or lost her voice, because of people bullying her about her shy personality and orange hair, the mark for being the "tiger" in the zodiac. She left home since she could not have taken the bullying anymore, but was later found in her Tiger form by Tohru and bit her. After staying at Shigure's house for a little while, she was given a boost of confidence and strength from Tohru. Tohru loved Kisa, and let her know it. After that, Kisa found the strength to talk and go to school. She idolizes Tohru. Kisa calls her "Onee-chan", meaning a sister figure. Momiji Sohma Tohru and Momiji were good friends from the start. They met when Hatori came to their school's fair (where they were selling rice balls) to give Yuki a check-up. Momiji and Kyo are fighting when Tohru comes over and Momiji asks her if she knows about the curse. She replies yes, prompting him to hug her. He turns into a rabbit, making the other students wonder what happened. The other students did not have to have their memories erased, because they did not make the connection of the rabbit and Momiji. When Momiji reveals the secret about his mother to Tohru, she, overtaken by sadness, hugs him, thus turning him into a rabbit. She begins to cry, and says how without her mother she would not have been able to be where she is now. This causes Momiji, who is still in his rabbit form, to cry as well. She says that Momiji is very strong, and that she admires him for that quality. Later in the manga, it starts to show that Momiji very much loves Tohru in a romantic way. In Volume 19, he is shown holding hands with Tohru, and they look like a couple. He later tells Kyo that he is going to propose to Tohru if Kyo does not. Momiji never does, of course, as he decides to leave Kyo and Tohru to their happiness. Kagura Sohma Kazuma Sohma Category:Relationships